2AM
by Theralex
Summary: It's January and that has never been an easy month for Beckett. And he has always known that she'd break down one day.


Hello everyone :)  
I know it's been a while but I couldn't seem to write anything lately.  
This is just a sweet little comfort thingy I just had to write.  
I hope you enjoy it.  
_

"Castle."

"Hey Castle."

"Beckett? Are you still at the precinct? It's almost two."

"No, I'm...I'm at home. Going through stuff."

Frowning, Castle pushed his laptop off his lap and started pacing around the room. His partner wasn't making any sense and he was kind of worried. Beckett usually made a great deal of sense.

"So...Are you alright?" he asked and part of him was dreading the answer. January never was an easy month for her, he knew that much.

There was silence at the other end of the line. "I'll be there in ten." Castle said, and hung up before she could object.

Exactly ten minutes later, Detective Beckett heard a faint knocking on her door, almost as if he wasn't sure if he really wanted to come in.

She got up from her couch and walked to the door, careful not to step on any of the photos scattered on the floor and the small table.

Opening the door, she leaned against it heavily for support.

"Hey." Castle said, his eyes roaming her body. She was wearing baggy pants and an oversized sweatshirt. The clothes made her look even more fragile than usual.

"Hey." She replied, opening the door a little wider. A silent invitation. Beckett turned around and left it to him to close the door behind him.

After he hung his coat next to hers, he walked to the sofa and sat down besides her.

His eyes took in the pictures, letters and boxes everywhere, trying to process the span of what he just saw. An entire life, kept in boxes so it wouldn't get lost.

Castle also noticed a nearly empty bottle of vine on the table, right next to a glass filled with the red liquor.

He picked up one of the photos at his feet. It showed a little girl on a woman's lap. She was helping the kid to unwrap an enormous teddy bear and smiled at the expression of pure glee on the child's face as she saw a brown ear poking out of the wrapping.

"You?" he asked, showing Beckett the picture. She gave it a short look and nodded. "My dad took it. It's one of the earliest memories I have."

A small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered. She watched in silence as Castle picked up one photo at a time, examined it and put it on a growing stack.

Now and then, he would ask her questions about them and she would answer, let him know as much as she wanted him to know.

He never pushed her to tell him more.

"You want some of that?" Kate asked, pointing at the vine.

He nodded, now regarding a picture of her prom back when she was a senior.

She got up and walked to the kitchen where she reached up and got another glass out of the cupboard.

Castle kept on sorting the photos, some of which had names of the depicted people on the back, some dates.

He was still trying to wrap his mind around what it meant for their relationship that she had called tonight. She was sharing her memories with him. Memories, she rarely ever shared with anyone.

Sure, he had seen some of them before, when he was looking for the missing link in the case about a year ago, after Detective Raglan hat called her, had turned her world upside down.

Castle looked up from the picture he was holding to see if Beckett was still in the kitchen, for she had gone unnaturally quiet.

There she was, her back turned on him, hands gripping the counter and shoulder shaking slightly.

_Oh god..._ he thought.

He'd always dreaded this moment. He knew that Beckett was strong. But she was only human and he'd known that she'd break down someday. He just hadn't expected to be around.

The next second he was right behind her, bodies not yet touching but close enough to feel the others warmth. Close enough to let her know that he was there. Not sure whether or not she would push him away, he didn't dare to touch her.

"Kate..." he said, not even sure if there was anything he could say.

At the sound of her name she turned around, rested her head against his chest. Castle wrapped his arms around her small frame, holding her close, stroking her back soothingly.

He felt her tears soak his shirt, but he couldn't care less. He held her, until there were no more tears she could cry and her breathing slowly became calmer.

He didn't know how long they stood like this, but at some point, her arms crept around his waist, hands clutching the back of his shirt.

"Come on." He said, leading her down the small hallway to her bedroom. "Let's get you some rest." They didn't bother to turn on the light as they reached her bedroom. She crawled under the sheets and scooted over a little.

"Stay, will you?" She asked, a small hint of insecurity in her raspy voice. Castle didn't have to think twice and when he lay down next to her, her hands grabbed his shirt once again. He couldn't hold back a small grin at the firm grip of her fists.

None of them spoke for a long time, but eventually a whisper flew through the air. "Thanks."

Kate's breathing became more even and as he was sure she'd fallen asleep, he placed a small kiss on her forehead. "You're welcome."

I think there might be more where this comes from. We'll see what hits me when I'm in french.  
xx


End file.
